A new law banning Sunday trading in Poland has gone into effect, with supermarkets and other retail outlets closed in the staunchly Catholic country
Shopping ban in Poland
At first the legislation, sought by the Solidarity trade union and supported by the Catholic Church, will limit shopping to the first and last Sundays of the month. Next year trade will only be allowed on the last Sunday of the month before a wider ban halts shopping on most Sundays from 2020. Solidarity said it introduced the change to ensure retail staff get free time on weekends
FOREIGN MARKET CHAINS ALSO HIT
The liberal opposition and other critics argue it will limit job opportunities for students and cramp cross-border shopping from the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine and Slovakia. The law applies to foreign-owned hypermarket chains as well as other non-Polish players. It will still allow shopping online and at smaller locally-owned shops including bakeries and petrol stations
The ban was first proposed by Solidarity in 2016. The right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government, which is close to the Catholic Church, got behind the ban and passed the legislation in November, according to AFP
Similar laws in Switzerland
Sunday shopping became a popular family pastime in Poland with the advent of free market after the
collapse of communism in 1989. Hungary backtracked on a similar ban after it proved widely unpopular. Switzerland and Norway limit Sunday shopping, while Austria has a blanket ban. Many retailers in Poland are now planning to keep open longer on Saturdays to cope with increased demand. Biedronka, the nation’s largest food store network, is increasing staffing on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, according to Bloomberg